1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a system and method used for the remote monitoring and control of property and equipment. The primary application is for absentee owners of yachts and vacation homes, however, the present invention also can be used for commercial and industrial monitoring and control.
2. Discussion of Related Art
Property and equipment are generally valuable assets of an owner. The value of these items to the owner or authorized user may be derived from the monetary worth and/or the utility provided to the owner or authorized user, such as in the cases of a home, boat or automobile. As such, it is imperative that the condition of these items be maintained to provide the upmost worth and utility. In order to maintain the items in a proper condition, the items should be monitored by the owner or authorized user to ensure the presence of acceptable item conditions and to identify situations that may lead to item damage. Monitoring of an item is a tedious task and typically requires the owner or authorized user to be in the vicinity of the item. However, various property, such as vacation homes and vehicles, are usually remote from the owner or authorized user, thereby enabling monitoring at infrequent intervals. Thus, improper item conditions may arise without notice to an owner or authorized user, thereby tending to cause damage to the item. The related art attempts to overcome the above problem by providing various remote monitoring systems. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,831,558 (Shoup et al) discloses a system for monitoring physical phenomena and changes in structures. The system includes a plurality of programmable intelligent transducers arranged in an array with each being uniquely addressable by a remote controller to perform its functions (i.e., measure, translate analog measurement into digital signals and transmit the digital signals to the controller). The monitoring is selective to each individual intelligent transducer. The intelligent transducers combine measurement, microprocessor and communication functions that are programmed and actuated from the controller.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,790,977 (Ezekiel) discloses a system providing remote access from a remote host system to an instrument. Control and data acquisition software is stored in the instrument and forwarded to the host system. The software is executed on the host system and provides commands to control data acquisition of the instrument. In response to a request from the executed software, acquired data is forwarded from the instrument to the host.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,854,994 (Canada et al) discloses an apparatus including one or more machine monitors which attach to one or more machines to sense a physical machine characteristic, such as vibration or temperature, and produce wireless transmissions corresponding to the sensed characteristic, and a command station for receiving transmissions from the machine monitors and processing the information to provide an indication of a machine condition. A repeater receives the sensor data transmissions from the machine monitors and retransmits the data to the command station A when, due to site conditions, the machine monitors are beyond the receiving range of, or out of the line of sight to, the command station.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,917,405 (Joao) discloses a control apparatus for a vehicle including a first, second and third control devices. The first control device generates and transmits a first signal for one of activating, deactivating, enabling and disabling one of a vehicle component, device system and subsystem. The first control device is located at the vehicle and is responsive to a second signal generated by and transmitted from the second control device. The second control device is located remote from the vehicle and is responsive to a third signal generated by and transmitted from the third control device. The third control device is remote from the vehicle and second control device.
The related art suffers from several disadvantages. In particular, the above-described systems generally require special programming of system monitor devices or sensors prior to system operation. This increases complexity of installation and further complicates incorporation of additional sensors into the system. Further, this specific programming is typically accomplished by personnel familiar with the system, thereby requiring special personnel to install the system and subsequent sensor additions. Moreover, the above-described systems generally detect alarm conditions based on measurements of specific individual sensors. This limits the conditions that may trigger an alarm and may possibly lead to reporting of false alarms or missing an actual alarm condition when such conditions are indicated by a combination of sensor measurements. In addition, the above-described systems are typically not available in a kit form for installation by a consumer.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to remotely monitor and control various property and/or equipment.
It is another object of the present invention to enable users to remotely monitor and control property or equipment via a network, such as the Internet.
Yet another object of the present invention is to remotely monitor property and/or equipment and detect user specified alarm conditions based on measurements of a combination of sensors.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide remote monitoring kits including sensor modules and a controller for installation by a user to monitor user property and/or equipment.
A further object of the present invention is to utilize a wireless on/off keyed protocol for communication between sensors and a sensor control module to facilitate remote monitoring of property and/or equipment.
The aforesaid objects are achieved individually and/or in combination, and it is not intended that the present invention be construed as requiring two or more of the objects to be combined unless expressly required by the claims attached hereto.
According to the present invention, a remote monitoring system includes transducers, a transducer control module, a communications device, a monitoring system and end-user display terminals. The transducers are disposed on the property and/or equipment in a manner to measure specific characteristics or parameters and communicate with the transducer control module via a wireless communication protocol. The transducer control module receives and analyzes transducer measurements and detects alarm conditions. The transducer control module communicates with the monitoring system via a wide area network and the communications device. The monitoring system receives, stores and analyzes information received from the transducer control module and reports the information to the end-user terminals via a wide area network, such as the Internet, in response to user requests.